


As the World Falls Down

by Vahildr



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Multi, Reylux - Freeform, Reylux Network Prompt Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 16:11:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6712045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vahildr/pseuds/Vahildr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The General had told her to come, had ordered her, to travel to The Finalizer and to learn, to infiltrate. And a scavenger like Rey, surely that would be easy. She hadn't expected the sheer number of people, the sounds that surrounded her, pressing close around the young woman.</p><p>{Reylux Network Prompt Swap}</p>
            </blockquote>





	As the World Falls Down

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Reylux Network Prompt Exchange! My prompt was "meeting at a Romeo and Juliet type fancy/masked ball". I apparently took off in the opposite direction so I profusely apologize. I admit I've never seen the Romeo and Juliet movie, and I don't care for the play, so I ran with "masked ball" o.o

Rey was lost.

There was a ballroom, filled with people she wasn't familiar with, both human and not. She recognized some: the head-tailed Togruta, and the Twi'lek. The feline-like Cathar, and of course the Zabrak, with the spines that graced their head. Others, she wasn't sure of: blue skin, red eyes, and others she couldn't even begin to describe.

The General had told her to come, had _ordered_ her, to travel to The Finalizer and to learn, to infiltrate. And a scavenger like Rey, surely that would be easy. She hadn't expected the sheer number of people, the sounds that surrounded her, pressing close around the young woman.

Rey wore a gown, made of iridescent fabric that was silky soft against her skin, vastly different from the coarse attire she had worn on Jakku, built to protect from the sun. Her current dress left little to the imagination: large swaths of skin, hidden beneath the sheer fabric, leaving only a small swatch, hiding her chest from view. Her hair was tied up in an elaborate twist of curls instead of her usual triple bun, and dark, sapphire-blue crystals hid among them, catching the light, glinting softly.

She caught her appearance in a passing reflection, and Rey noted that her facial features were accented, blood red painted on her thin lips, copper and gold surrounding her eyes, with a splash of green, giving her eyes a striking look to them, even hidden behind the mask, unassuming, with a short, curved beak of a nose, copper and gold brushed across the thin material and feathered headdress. Modeled after a bird, the General had said.

Truth be told, Rey didn't recognize herself: she had only ever seen the Scavenger, the desert rat who hid, made herself small and unnoticed, thinking only to survive, but ready to fight, should the need arise.

This was different, she realized. Beauty was never something she cared about, on Jakku. Looks got you nowhere, it was skill and size that kept one alive.

Then, she mused silently, looking around at the beauty and elaborate finery that surrounded her, veiling the harsh realities that the First Order wished to hide. Perhaps Jakku and the First Order are not so different after all. Survival was key, in a place like this, it seemed.

Through the chatter of languages, Rey heard the soft descant of an unfamiliar song, and she tilted her head, glancing around for the first time that evening, straining her ears to hear the individual sounds that filled the air, the soft croon of strings and woodwinds The ballroom was large, bright, though there was a feeling of dread that filled the scavenger as she peered curiously around the metallic room, watching.

Lights glittered above her, seemingly floating in the tall, towering ceilings. Windows, floor to massive heights, gave a gloriously dizzying view of the burning star below them, revealing that they were on a ship of some sort: a _Star Destroyer?_ , Rey wondered. Darkness lurked on the edges of the room, though the rest was bright.

In the center, a pit filled with cushions and pillows, and Rey could see limbs, bodies tangled together, writhing, sounds of pleasure drowning out the music as Rey paced forwards. She shuddered, keeping her gaze on the pit, her cheeks darkening, and widened her own when a pair of yellow-red eyes turned their gaze to her, sneering at the human.

She backed up quickly, reaching for a staff that wasn't there, nearly crashing into a hard chest behind her. They jeered and Rey yelped, turning away, wanting out, not pausing to look at the figure she had disturbed. Her eyes caught a flash of black and she turned, just enough time to see Kylo Ren, masked eyes on her as he danced with a scantily-clad twi'lek, his gaze heated as he all but ignored the woman he was with, in favor of watching _her_. And then he was gone, and Rey shook her head, jumping in surprise when a hand rested on her shoulder. She spun, adrenaline rushing through her,and a red-skinned Zabrak stood at her shoulder, holding out his hand, teeth bared in an easy smile, showing no reaction to her apparent surprise, his pale violet eyes curious, if not guarded.

Rey took the offered hand warily, and he spun her around, leading her in the quick dance that filled the ballroom. She caught sight of Kylo Ren, feeling the anger rolling off him in waves at the sight of her dancing with a stranger draped in elaborate silks and gold jewelry. It pleased her, to sense the anger, knowing he was... _jealous, perhaps?_ , of the Zabrak.

As they danced, Rey relaxed, until she caught sight of another familiar gentleman, though she was moving too quickly to keep her gaze on him for too long. This dance was fast, and it was difficult to keep up, she realized, the longer it lasted.

And finally it was done. The Zabrak bowed, and Rey bobbed her head, fumbling for what to do in the situation. She closed her eyes, to ground herself, and when she opened them again, found herself face to face with the General, his blue eyes glittering behind a black mask, lips quirked into a soft, if not predatory smirk. He knew exactly who she was.

He took her hand, leading the girl in yet another dance, this one slower, easier to manage. His smile widened, eyes narrowing, and Rey tried to pull away, suddenly frantic, the distrust rising to the surface once more.

Hux trapped her hands in his, not allowing her to escape from his iron grip, and she squeaked at the hard form behind her. Turning her head, she found herself looking up into Kylo Ren's face and she shrunk back, eyes wide, trapped between two of the most powerful men in the galaxy.

Kylo brushed his fingers along her neck, smirking lightly as she shivered under his touch, unused to the attention. His eyes hooded, the dark force-user lowered his mouth to the side of her neck, nipping softly at her skin, pulling a soft noise of surprise from her lips as she fell under his expert touch.

They were there, and then they were gone, in the blink of an eye, and Rey let out a frustrated growl. She didn't like the two men, but she was determined to not fail: what she was required to do, where she was, she had no idea, though she knew she was required to learn. She spun, and the iridescent fabrics twisted around her legs, and Rey let her gaze flick around the ballroom.

She felt eyes watching her, and the scavenger turned to see Kylo Ren lounging on a curved throne, head tilted haughtily, watching her with calculating, brown eyes. The mask had been discarded, and Rey's eyes focused on the scar, marring his face. _She_  had done that.

The General stood behind him, eyes deceptively kind, his own mask removed as well, and Rey lunged towards them, reaching once more for weapons that were unavailable to her. Kylo chuckled darkly, unfolding himself from the seat, meeting her halfway, his hands tangling in the fabric of her gown. He pulled her flush against him and the General appeared behind her once more, hands wandering.

Kylo snapped his fingers, and Rey felt her body slip, the sensation of falling filling her entire being. Her eyes slid closed, her body falling limp between the two leaders, their hands holding her up between them as she fell into unconsciousness.

She would remember nothing.


End file.
